Early to rise to make some breaky for the man again. Not sure if this tradition will stick, but it is nice to have a few more hours in the day.
I called the language school where I'll be learning Arabic with Kazzu to find out if we are in fact registered for the class since they have never replied to my application request and "re-request". They said sure you're in and you can just pay on the first day. I guess we won't know for sure until we get there since that is definitely not how their website says it works, but anyway I am cautiously excited about starting classes beginning July 31st.
Then a quick coffee with Eneda and Kazzu at a new (to me) joint nearby called Aroma. It does not hold a candle to Beanos so my loyalty is still in tact. It is a quick coffee - only 1 hr - which is way too short for a couple of chatty ladies like us, but Eneda has to run to be home for her airconditioner repair guy (mine is still broken - the airconditioner, not the guy) and I have to go to the district of Ma'adi again.
Hailing a cab on my own for the third time only. The trip goes by without a hitch. About a 40 minute drive for LE25 (egyptian pounds) equivalent to a little more than 4 bucks. With my map and a memory of this trip last week, the cab driver and I make it there with no common language but a few silent hand gestures!
I meet with the community centre program manager where I'll be teaching dance in the fall and happily we find a way to hold all 8 hrs of classes per week that I would like to teach. After only 40 minutes of chatting I make a full hour long cab ride journey home. Too bad I'll have to commute so long to and from the centre, though on a map it really isn't that far. Cairo traffic is to blame for the lengthy voyage.
My cab ride home is great - the driver did not turn on the meter which I have been told is a bad thing. We are supposed to either agree on a price before setting off, or better yet: have them turn on their meters. Well, head-in-the-clouds girl that I am, I don't notice that the meter ain't a-runnin until we are 40 minutes into the trip. When we arrive home (which is becoming easier to find all the time!), I ask him how much I should pay him since there is nothing on the meter. I realize after that that is not necessarily the right thing to do since he could say anything. But it is okay, he seems to look sheepish and says "no meter". So I say tell him that my outgoing trip was LE25 therefore that's what I'll pay him. I'm not sure how much of that he understood and he doesn't really reply so I just hand him the money and get out. I did everything wrong and still wasn't swindled!
By the time that Scott gets home, he is completely exhausted. Still not quite adjusted to that good 'ol 9 hr time change. He has a nap while I hang out on Skype. Then we head out to Abu El Sid which is a nearby Egyptian restaurant.
We have a seat and there are not too many people smoking cigarettes, but tons of people smoking shisha. We order foul and falafel again - awesome! Then two staff members from Scott's work walk in so we ask if they would care to join us. They are heading to the pyramids tomorrow and we had been planning to go too, but the promise of incredible heat has us deciding to wait a bit longer.
I know those pyramids have been around for a good long while and they are probably not going anywhere during the few years we are here, but I hope we get there SOON.
I called the language school where I'll be learning Arabic with Kazzu to find out if we are in fact registered for the class since they have never replied to my application request and "re-request". They said sure you're in and you can just pay on the first day. I guess we won't know for sure until we get there since that is definitely not how their website says it works, but anyway I am cautiously excited about starting classes beginning July 31st.
Then a quick coffee with Eneda and Kazzu at a new (to me) joint nearby called Aroma. It does not hold a candle to Beanos so my loyalty is still in tact. It is a quick coffee - only 1 hr - which is way too short for a couple of chatty ladies like us, but Eneda has to run to be home for her airconditioner repair guy (mine is still broken - the airconditioner, not the guy) and I have to go to the district of Ma'adi again.
Hailing a cab on my own for the third time only. The trip goes by without a hitch. About a 40 minute drive for LE25 (egyptian pounds) equivalent to a little more than 4 bucks. With my map and a memory of this trip last week, the cab driver and I make it there with no common language but a few silent hand gestures!
I meet with the community centre program manager where I'll be teaching dance in the fall and happily we find a way to hold all 8 hrs of classes per week that I would like to teach. After only 40 minutes of chatting I make a full hour long cab ride journey home. Too bad I'll have to commute so long to and from the centre, though on a map it really isn't that far. Cairo traffic is to blame for the lengthy voyage.
My cab ride home is great - the driver did not turn on the meter which I have been told is a bad thing. We are supposed to either agree on a price before setting off, or better yet: have them turn on their meters. Well, head-in-the-clouds girl that I am, I don't notice that the meter ain't a-runnin until we are 40 minutes into the trip. When we arrive home (which is becoming easier to find all the time!), I ask him how much I should pay him since there is nothing on the meter. I realize after that that is not necessarily the right thing to do since he could say anything. But it is okay, he seems to look sheepish and says "no meter". So I say tell him that my outgoing trip was LE25 therefore that's what I'll pay him. I'm not sure how much of that he understood and he doesn't really reply so I just hand him the money and get out. I did everything wrong and still wasn't swindled!
By the time that Scott gets home, he is completely exhausted. Still not quite adjusted to that good 'ol 9 hr time change. He has a nap while I hang out on Skype. Then we head out to Abu El Sid which is a nearby Egyptian restaurant.
We have a seat and there are not too many people smoking cigarettes, but tons of people smoking shisha. We order foul and falafel again - awesome! Then two staff members from Scott's work walk in so we ask if they would care to join us. They are heading to the pyramids tomorrow and we had been planning to go too, but the promise of incredible heat has us deciding to wait a bit longer.
I know those pyramids have been around for a good long while and they are probably not going anywhere during the few years we are here, but I hope we get there SOON.
Okay, wait? Did I know you were teaching dance over there? Details, woman! What kind of dance? To what age of students? How often? How exciting! Good for you, Shanny! You're doing so well!
ReplyDeleteBallet and Jazz to 4 to 11 yr olds. Mostly ex-pat kids. It is at a community centre, two nights a week, 8 1-hr classes. I am excited to get started and happy that I don't have to take a few years off from the best job ever! Thanks again for the encouragement - though day to day stuff is kind of challenging, I am feeling more comfortable and think I am getting into the groove of things. Start Arabic tomorrow which sure can't hurt!
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